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Desert warmup
Virginia pounds Howard, heads to Arizona next
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 15, 2007

When Virginia first began going after Mike Scott, the word within recruiting circles was that the Chesapeake native had a chance to be a much better version of the recently graduated Jason Cain.

In the season opener against Vermont, Scott, still hampered by an ankle injury, hardly played.

But on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena, the freshman got some quality playing time - and gave Virginia fans a glimpse of what he is capable of.

Scott showed a little bit of everything, notching seven points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench as Virginia cruised to an easy 92-53 victory over Howard.

“It was good to see Mike get out there,” said fellow Virginia freshman Jeff Jones. “I was waiting for this for quite a while. I knew he was capable of doing all the stuff that he did today.”

Virginia (2-0), which was led by Sean Singletary’s 23 points and eight assists, will face a much stiffer test when it plays at Arizona on Saturday night.

Howard, which went just 9-22 last season, was coming off a 70-point loss to Duquesne in its season opener.

“I kind of figured we wouldn’t win by 70,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, “but I wanted us to play well.”

Leitao’s squad was so-so. The Cavaliers started out slow, playing down to their competition. Howard (0-2) jumped out to a 24-19 lead on the strength of some blistering shooting and a rash of UVa turnovers.

Enter Scott.

“He looked at me and I looked at him and he was like, ‘Go get ’em,’” Scott said, “and I knew what I had to do.”

After a Singletary 3-point play, Scott rebounded his own miss and scored on a put-back as he was being fouled to tie the game at 24. Then, on Virginia’s next possession, Scott stepped outside the arc and calmly drilled a 3-pointer that gave UVa a 27-24 lead.

“I was trying to be very aggressive,” Scott said. “That’s what I think I can bring to the team. I tried to get us hyped up.”

Later in the half, Scott scored on a driving layup that was set up by a great hustle play by Ryan Pettinella.

The outcome was never really in doubt after that. The most excitement in this game came in the final seconds when freshman Mustapha Farrakhan threw a behind-the-back pass on the fastbreak to walk-on Andy Burns - to the delight of everybody in JPJ except Leitao.

The most impressive thing about Scott was his versatility. The only thing missing from his performance was a dunk - something he was known for last season when he prepped at Hargrave Military Academy.

“He doesn’t have his explosion,” Leitao said, “which is the final piece to getting him to play the way he did when I first saw him.”

Jones is excited to see a Scott aerial show.

“Mike can really jump,” Jones said. “I think his jumping ability is about 80 percent right now. I’ve seen him jump like over the backboard - like really high over the rim.”

Scott, who originally committed to Temple before enrolling at Hargrave, laughed when he was told of Jones’ comment.

“I can leap a bit, but I don’t like to brag,” he said, smiling. “I wouldn’t say I could touch the top of the backboard. That’s Earl [“The Goat”] Manigault or something like that.”

With big man Tunji Soroye likely out until January, the opportunity is certainly there for Scott to become a consistent member of the rotation. Whether he can seize that chance will likely depend on his ankle. Scott said he’s confident it will be completely healed before long.

“The more I get up and down the court, it gets better and better,” he said. “It’s when I sit down at halftime and it gets cold and I have to warm it back up … but when I’m on the court, I’m good.”

Dunks

There was a moment of silence before the game for former player Mac Caldwell, who passed away on Sunday. Caldwell was captain of Virginia’s 1964-65 team. … It looks like Farrakhan has become a fan favorite. After hitting a beautiful put-back basket off of an Adrian Joseph miss in the first half, the JPJ crowd chanted “Mooooooo!” … Freshman walk-on Will Sherill made his first appearance of the season, scoring two points on a fastbreak layup.

 

 

 

 

Division races come down to wire
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
November 15, 2007

Scattershooting around the ACC, while thinking the conference office must have read the tealeaves in order to produce an ending like this one …

Who would have guessed back in July that the two division races would end up being settled with head-to-head battles between the leading contenders this late in the season? When Boston College travels to Clemson this weekend, the winner will take the Atlantic Division title and go to the ACC Championship game in Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 1. When Virginia Tech comes to Charlottesville on Thanksgiving weekend, the same holds true for the Coastal Division and a trip to Jacksonville.

Clemson was written off after back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Tiger fans were talking about firing Tommy Bowden again, as has become customary in Death Valley throughout the years. Then, Boston College, ranked No. 2 nationally and undefeated, tumbled big time and could be relegated to just a mediocre bowl trip.

Apparently, when Florida State knocked off BC in Chestnut Hills, Mass., a couple of weeks ago, it woke up Clemson’s team and revived its hopes.

“There’s just something in the air now,” said defensive tackle Jamie Cumbie. “You can feel it.”

The Tigers knocked off contender Wake Forest in convincing style, leaving Deacons coach Jim Grobe to proclaim of Clemson: “They’re awfully good. We’re not a bad football team, but they did things to us that made it look like we were not coached very well.”

Now, the Tigers get to host BC with everything on the line.

“The pressure’s not on us, it’s on them,” Cumbie said. “They’ve got to come down here and play in our house.”

Boston College realizes that in order to keep from dropping down to a routine bowl game, it must take care of business at Clemson.

“Everything we’ve been wanting to do, we’ve got an opportunity to do this week,” said BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski. “You can’t worry about what’s happened in the past. You just have to look forward.”

Howling in Raleigh

Talk about surges. How about Tom O’Brien’s N.C. State team, which has come on like gangbusters with four straight wins. Now at 5-5, State has a chance to go bowling.

After nipping rival North Carolina in a down-to-the-wire finish Saturday, O’Brien said, “Just another day at the ballpark, huh? This is the way these games ought to go. We were fortunate to have just a little bit more at the end than they did.”

Unfortunately for coach Butch Davis, the loss assured a sixth straight non-winning season for the Tar Heels, which added to the delight of Wolfpack fans.

What killed UNC again was its inability to run the football. Carolina had a net 12 yards rushing in the game.

Another QB rotation

Coach Frank Beamer said he will continue to use both his starting quarterbacks, Sean Glennon and true freshman Tyrod Taylor, in a rotation for the rest of the season. Virginia Tech hosts Miami this weekend, and as usual, Beamer was coy about how the rotation will go, noting that it will depend on the game plan.

Meanwhile, during the Hokies’ win over Florida State last weekend, at least one person said Taylor brought back memories of another former Tech quarterback.

“I didn’t expect to see the second coming of [Michael] Vick,” said FSU coach Bobby Bowden. “That’s about what it was.”

Tech is nearly a three-touchdown favorite over the Hurricanes, and no matter if the Hokies would even lose in an upset, their game with Virginia on Nov. 24 will decide the division champion.

The Hokies should be healthy for the Miami game. Linebacker Vince Hall has been cleared to play after recuperating from a broken left wrist, and center Ryan Shuman, a Fork Union product, should be back from his high ankle sprain.

Tech is a wreck

There’s a lot of rumbling at Georgia Tech over coach Chan Gailey. The Yellow Jackets are 3-4 in the ACC and still must play North Carolina and non-conference rival Georgia.

Gailey has four years remaining on his contract but has not received a vote of confidence from relatively new Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich, who did not hire Gailey.

“Chan is our head coach. The season isn’t complete. We have a tough game next week, followed by our rivalry game with Georgia. I know Chan and his staff are working hard.”

That was Radakovich when asked about Gailey’s future during the Jackets’ lopsided win over Duke.

Meanwhile, senior tailback Tashard Choice became the first Tech player to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. On Monday, his high school retired his jersey.

Turtle soup

For the first time in Maryland football history, the Terps defeated two teams ranked in the top 10 in the same season - beating then-No. 10 Rutgers earlier this season, and upsetting No. 8 Boston College last weekend.

Quarterback Chris Turner threw for a career-high 337 yards in the win and also threw for three touchdowns. Meanwhile, BC star Matt Ryan’s 421 passing yards were the most by an opposing quarterback during the Ralph Friedgen era at Maryland.

The picks

Last week: 4-2. To date: 57-25. This week: Clemson 30, Boston College 27; Notre Dame 27, Duke 20; Florida State 33, Maryland 26; Wake Forest 24, N.C. State 19; Georgia Tech 27, UNC 23; Virginia Tech 42, Miami 13.

 

 

 

 

Cavs roll past Bison
Despite big victory, Leitao sees room for improvement
Thursday, Nov 15, 2007 - 12:10 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - When reserve point guard Sammy Zeglinski passed to walk-on forward Will Sherrill for a fast-break layup with 46 seconds left, the fans who remained at John Paul Jones Arena roared their approval, and Dave Leitao's assistants shared smiles on the University of Virginia bench.

Leitao's stern expression never changed.

The Cavaliers beat Howard 92-53 last night before an announced crowd of 11,162, but their third-year coach saw much that didn't please him, especially with a Saturday night game at No.17 Arizona looming.

The winless Bison led 24-19 at the midpoint of the first half.

"We were a step slow as much mentally as we were physically," Leitao said. "I kind of figured we weren't going to win by 70, but I wanted us to play well at the same time."

Howard, which lost 129-59 at Duquesne last week, battled throughout last night. Ultimately, though, U.Va.'s superior talent and depth - and its defensive intensity the final 30 minutes - proved telling.

Even so, Virginia had lapses, even in the second half. After Howard (0-2) scored five consecutive points to pull to 47-35 with 17:12 remaining, Leitao yanked four of his starters: guards Sean Singletary and Jeff Jones, forward Mamadi Diane and center Ryan Pettinella.

"It's kind of embarrassing to come out like that," Diane said.

Leitao got his point across, and the Wahoos (2-0) won going away. Singletary, Virginia's senior point guard, had five turnovers, giving him 11 in two games. But he also had 23 points (on 9-for-16 shooting), eight assists and four rebounds.

"I don't think he played a great, great game," Leitao said, "but when he's out there, we're pretty good."

Diane, a junior whose father played soccer at Howard, made four treys and scored 14 points, and sophomore guard Calvin Baker, a transfer from William and Mary, came off the bench to score 11 points. Baker also had 11 in the opener against Vermont.
 

 

 

 

UVa eventually gets in gear
The Cavs star slow, but coach Dave Leitao finally gets a spark out of his team in the second half.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia can be happy it wasn't playing Duquesne on Wednesday night.

Instead, the Cavaliers were entertaining a men's basketball team coming off a 70-point loss to the Dukes.

That team, Howard, made Virginia look foolish for 10 minutes before the Cavaliers took command in a 92-53 victory at the John Paul Jones Arena.

"I kind of figured we weren't going to win by 70," said UVa coach Dave Leitao, who said he did not mention the Howard-Duquesne score in his pregame scouting report.

"At home, even with your own sons and daughters, you don't want to give them something they can use in a detrimental way."

But after watching the Cavaliers fall behind 24-19 in the first half, Leitao thought he might shame his players into playing better by telling them the Duquesne-Howard score (129-59).

At that, it took a while to get his players going in the second half. With Howard trailing 47-35 with 17:11 to play, Leitao called a timeout and replaced four of his five starters.

"It's kind of embarrassing, especially with us being veterans," said junior Mamadi Diane, who was joined on the bench by the Cavaliers' two-time All-ACC selection, Sean Singletary.

Among the group on the floor was Mike Scott, a 6-foot-8, 233-pound freshman who had played 2 minutes in Virginia's opening game, a 90-72 triumph over Vermont.

"Coach [Leitao] walked down the bench, he looked at me, I looked at him and he told me, 'Go get 'em,' " Scott said.

Scott played 14 minutes and finished with seven points, six rebounds and two steals.

"I know that rebounding is my ticket," said Scott, who spent the 2006-2007 season at Hargrave Military Academy. "I've got to have the mindset that every rebound can be mine."

Scott missed much of preseason practice with an ankle injury and returned to full-time work only for the last two practices.

"He did some good things," said Leitao, noting that Scott made a first-half 3-pointer. "He can make free throws. He has a knack for rebounding and he's got some toughness.

"He's still not there yet. He doesn't have the explosion that is the final piece to getting him to play the way he played when I first saw him."

Singletary overcame a slow start to post game highs of 23 points and eight assists. Diane hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, and sophomore guard Calvin Baker came off the bench to contribute 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds and five assists.

"And that was without a turnover," Leitao said, "and he's doing that in less than half a game [17 minutes]. Credit Calvin again. He's proven to be solid and, as a result, earned more and more time and more and more respect."

Howard made 10 of its first 14 shots in taking its 24-19 lead, then missed its final 11 shots of the first half in falling behind 41-26. The Bison shot 41.2 percent for the game, compared to 49.3 for the Cavaliers, who had a 48-23 bulge on the boards.

"I wasn't alarmed," Leitao said, "but I didn't think we were playing the game the right way. Where I set the bar is darn near to perfection."

On Saturday, the Cavs visit Arizona for the last of a four-game series in which the home team has won every game.

The Cavaliers used 13 players in the first half and 15 overall, "but," said Leitao, "you can't be experimenting too, too long because you've got some really difficult days ahead."

 

 

 

 

Singletary bullies Bison for non-conference win
Senior guard drains 23 points as Virginia offense dominates second half after sluggish start to secure early season victory against Howard
Anders Sleight, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

After a rough start, the Virginia men's basketball team pulled away and shot down Howard last night 92-53. Senior guard Sean Singletary again led the way for Virginia, finishing with 23 points and eight assists while dazzling the crowd with several highlight-reel plays. Junior forward Mamadi Diane added 14 points and sophomore guard Calvin Baker contributed 11 points and five assists. The win improved Virginia's record to 2-0.

"These [early] games become much more of a battle against yourself," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "That is no disrespect to Howard but it's hard to keep your head psychologically in it when you look at the scoreboard. I think as a result of that, we started off really slowly."

To say the first half started slowly for the Cavaliers would be an understatement. Virginia began the game sluggishly and endured several turnovers and sloppy plays. Virginia and Howard played evenly for much of the period, and the Bison even enjoyed a 4-point lead almost 10 minutes into the opening period. Virginia simply was not getting the job done until Leitao shook things up and substituted several players. Freshman forward Mike Scott, freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski and Baker entered the game and provided a spark. Scott quickly put up five points as he put in a hard fought lay-up and knocked down a long-range 3-pointer with seven minutes to go. Just one minute later, freshman guard Jeff Jones made a nice move to the basket and laid the ball in to give Virginia a 29-24 lead. From there, Singletary took charge as he made a series of creative and acrobatic plays. In one instance, Singletary stole the ball, drove coast to coast, laid the ball in and drew a foul. Singletary later completed the 3-point play, giving Virginia a 7-point lead. For the rest of the half, Virginia pulled away. The Cavaliers limited Howard to only 2 points in about the last eight minutes of the half. The Cavs ended the period holding a 41-26 lead, having made six 3-pointers and shot over 40 percent from the 3-point line in the period.

Howard began the second half with a run of its own. The Bison reeled off 11 points in the first five minutes of the period and forced Leitao to make some quick adjustments for Virginia. Those adjustments, however, paid off for the Cavaliers, as they regained control of the game. At the 14:30 mark, Baker drove toward the basket, drew a defender and lofted a perfect alley oop pass to senior forward Adrian Joseph. Joseph grabbed the ball and slammed it home, to the delight of the John Paul Jones Arena crowd. Two minutes later Baker drained a long 3-pointer in the face of a Howard defender. Baker's theatrics gave Virginia a 19-point lead with a little more than 12 minutes to play.

Next it was Diane's turn to get hot. Diane hit three 3-pointers in a span of just a few minutes for Virginia and allowed the Cavs to pull away. The game was all but decided at that point when, with 6:45 remaining in the game, Singletary hit fellow guard Zeglinski as he streaked towards the basket. Zeglinski took the ball and easily scored a wide open layup. The easy basket gave Virginia a 28-point lead, 73-45, and put the game to rest.

"When we walked in here they [Howard's players] were looking around at the facility," Howard coach Gil Jackson said. "Our guys were looking around, so right away that's a problem."

 

 

 

 

It just doesn't add up
Kevin Zdancewicz

"Virginia is 102nd in team offense. I'm not sure I've ever seen an 8-2 team do that before," color commentator Bob Davie remarked during ESPN2's telecast of the U.Va. football game against Miami. The former Notre Dame coach added that Virginia was 62nd in turnover margin at the time, "so it's not like they are forcing a lot of turnovers." When you think about it, he's right: Those stats are pretty amazing for a top-15 BCS team. But at this point, why should anything the Hoos -- now 95th in total offense and 46th in turnover margin -- do this season be surprising?

I watched the second half of the Miami game with my friends, and for most of those 30 minutes (football time) we were busy laughing at the game's broadcasters. Part of this was because of their comical observations, like when play-by-play man Mark Jones narrated, "Jameel Sewell carries the ball off of a direct snap." He's the quarterback -- of course he took a direct snap!

The other reason was because they mentioned the absurd statistics Virginia has compiled this year. There were a number of instances where we just shook our heads and couldn't help but laugh at the fact that U.Va. is actually in the running for the ACC Championship so late in the season. Again though, why should any of this be surprising in what is shaping up to be one of the most memorable seasons in Virginia football history?

In 2007, Virginia has the kind of offensive stats that would make most people would cover their eyes. When hearing we are 82nd in scoring offense or 90th in tackles for a loss allowed, a Wahoo fan will do the same. When his or her face emerges, however, there's a smile on it. That's because despite the 76th-rated passing attack and the 88th-ranked rushing unit, Virginia is 9-2. The Hoos hadn't even scored a touchdown in the third quarter before Mikell Simpson's 1-yard run less than five minutes into the second half Saturday, and yet the Cavaliers are leading the ACC Coastal Division.

Believe me, I'm still shaking my head as I think and write about this. I just can't get rid of the feeling that Al Groh may have made a deal with the devil after the Wyoming game and that there really will be lava under the Rotunda like in the Adventures of Cavman or something like that after we beat Tech. Aside from the national statistics, there is the fact that Virginia has five wins by two points or less, an NCAA record that is directly correlated to the unofficial record for most fan heart attacks in one year. The "Cardiac Cavaliers," as they have been dubbed to a dizzying degree, have cemented this year's team picture in the cliché dictionary next to the entry: A win is a win.

U.Va.'s most recent win was obviously more the exception than the rule this year. With the Hoos up only 41 points in the fourth quarter, Chris Cook provided the dagger with a fumble recovery touchdown. Virginia helped Miami exit the Orange Bowl in the same way the Hurricanes entered it in 1937 -- except the complete opposite. Instead of a 40-0 beat down like Miami handed Georgia Southern in the first game at the famous stadium, the last contest was a 48-0 debacle for the Canes that was not as close as the final score indicated. Instead of the usual one or two point win the Hoos pull out, it was the worst shutout loss in Orange Bowl history.

If that wasn't a surprise, I don't know what is. The next thing you'll tell me is Jameel Sewell just won the Heisman.

To cap off the season, Virginia plays rival Virginia Tech. Next Saturday's game will not only be a showdown for the ACC Coastal, but a battle between the best two-loss team in the country (hint: not us) and the worst according to ESPN's Pat Forde. Tech's losses came to the current No. 1 team LSU and then--No. 2 Boston College . U.Va. lost convincingly to Wyoming (which just lost to Utah 50-0) and N.C. State (which was winless in the ACC before beating the Hoos). Based on what has transpired this season and the (lack of) logic thus far, it would be stupid not to pick Virginia over the Hokies next weekend.

This year's clash for the Commonwealth Cup should be one for the ages. The only thing I am not looking forward to is the mass of Hokie fans who will undoubtedly invade the student section thanks to the jerks who sell their tickets to Tech fans to make a profit (which is an honor violation) or buy guest tickets for their Tech friends (which should be an honor violation).

All jokes aside, the Virginia-Virginia Tech game has more than just pride and bragging rights on the line for the first time in as long as I can remember. For all the poor rankings in offensive stats, the Virginia defense is in the top 20 in most major categories (scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, red zone defense) -- a fact that should prove the Cavaliers can seriously compete with Virginia Tech.

A win next weekend would put Virginia in the ACC Championship game and one step closer to the ACC's BCS bowl bid in the Orange Bowl. In a season of consistent surprises, one thing is definite: We all know how things turn out when Virginia plays in Miami.

 

 

 

ACC NOTEBOOK VIRGINIA WILL BE RESTED FOR SHOWDOWN CAVS WELCOME BREAK
November 15, 2007 12:35 am
BY JIM McCONNELL

After playing football for 11 consecutive weeks without a break, Virginia's only bye week of the 2007 season comes a week before one of the most important games in school history.

While rival Virginia Tech spends this week focusing on Saturday's home finale against Miami, the Cavaliers get extra time to rest and heal and prepare for their Coastal Division title showdown with the Hokies Nov. 24 in Charlottesville.

The winner of that game will play in the ACC championship game the following Saturday in Jacksonville.

"It's been a long time coming for us," Virginia defensive end Chris Long said. "We've been working and trying to improve. We're not going to sit on this and be satisfied. We're going to try and get better."

Virginia (9-2, 6-1 ACC) already has surpassed all expectations this season, winning nine of 10 games since a 23-3 season-opening loss at Wyoming while positioning itself for a run at a BCS bowl bid.

And if last weekend's 48-0 thumping of Miami was any indication, the Cavaliers are peaking at the right time. Behind quarterback Jameel Sewell's 288 passing yards, Virginia built a 31-0 halftime lead and sent the Hurricanes to one of their worst home losses ever in their final game at the Orange Bowl.

Along the way, the Cavs also silenced the skeptics who noted their penchant for winning close games--five wins this season by one or two points-and said they were more lucky than good.

Coach Al Groh, who has repeatedly suggested that his players and coaches should be credited for making their own luck, believes the team's consistent success in pressure situations has created a confidence that was missing last season.

"However the game unfolds [we] just try to find a way to win under those circumstances," Groh said. "The team's got a lot of belief that somebody is going to step up or some unit is going to step up.

"We had a concerted effort since some time back that took to build the particular mental toughness and the particular attitude in this team and the team has been tremendously responsive in doing the things that made that come about. I 'm proud of them for it."

CLASH IN CLEMSON

By late Saturday night, Virginia and Virginia Tech should know which Atlantic Division team will await one of them in Jacksonville.

Clemson (8-2, 5-2) riding a four-game win streak, hosts a reeling Boston College squad Saturday at 7:45 p.m. for the Atlantic title and a spot in the conference championship game.

The Eagles, who were No. 2 in the BCS and thinking about a shot at the national championship just a couple weeks ago, have fallen to 18th after back-to-back losses to Florida State and Maryland.

"It is disappointing anytime you lose a ball game, but we still have everything in front of us," BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. "We lost two in a row and now we have to go out and fight against Clemson."

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

With two weeks left in the regular season, three ACC teams are 5-5 and need one win to become bowl-eligible. The most surprising member of that trio is N.C. State.

The Wolfpack, who struggled early while adjusting to new head coach Tom O'Brien and his staff, were 1-5 overall and winless in the conference after a 27-10 loss to Florida State on Oct. 6.

But after a bye week, N.C. State has ripped off four consecutive wins--most recently, a 31-27 verdict over rival North Carolina last Saturday.

Now, if the Wolfpack can beat either Wake Forest this weekend or Maryland next weekend, they'll reach the six-win mark and be eligible to claim one of the ACC's eight bowl bids. Miami and Maryland are the conference's other 5-5 teams.

"They've always had a lot of talent, but I think the new system was tough on those guys," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "Early in the year they weren't playing with a lot of confidence. As you watch them through the season you see a lot of improvements."

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

Duke visits Notre Dame on Saturday with a chance to end its own seven-game losing streak and seal the perennial power's first winless home season since 1933.

Notre Dame (1-9) set a new school record with its sixth consecutive home loss last Saturday against Air Force. Its nine losses already are the most in the program's storied history.

Still, Duke coach Ted Roof doesn't want his players to get so caught up in the hoopla of playing at Notre Dame Stadium that they forget to execute against a vulnerable opponent.

"We're very aware of the history--Touchdown Jesus, the big stadium, the College Football Hall of Fame. I'm excited to go see it," Duke safety Chris Davis said. "Coach Roof is going to let us get there kind of early so we can get the distractions out of the way. I'm sure after meetings on Friday night we'll be very focused on the game."